Flexible shaft.



E. C. OLIVER.V

FLEXIBLE SHAFT.

APPLIOATION FILED N0v.1s.1912.

,069,283. Patent@ Aug. 5, 1913.

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EDD C. OLIVER, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

FLEXIBLE SHAFT. .s

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 5,1913.

Application iiled November 18, 1912. Serial No. 731,920.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, EDD C. OLIVER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, county of Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Flexible Shafts, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specication.

My invention relates to flexible shafts and consists in the improvements hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l, is a side elevation of two adjacent links of a shaft embodying my invention. Fig. 2, shows the blank out of which the link is formed. Fig. 3, shows the links partly formed and interlocked. Fig. 4:, is an elevation looking from the right of Fig. 3. Fig. 5, is an end view of one link. Fig. 6, is perspective view of a portion of one The shaft embodying my invention is formed of a series of interlocked links A, each of which is constructed from a blank stamped out of thin malleable metal. The thin metal is first stamped out in the form shown in F 2 in which the body a is nearly square, but the edges at each corner are cut in as shown at Z Z d d and from the center of each side there extends a tongue B, the end b of which is formed in the are of a circle of larger diameter than the width of the tongue. These tongues are then bent to form the sides of a parallelogram as shown in the middle link in Fig. 3, the enlarged portion b touching and extending at right angles to the body a. After the second bend the tongues of adjacent links are interlocked as indicated in Fig. 3 and then the end of the tongue is again bent downward touching the main body a of the blank. The body ct of the blank is then bent over into a cylindrical form, its inner surface lying against the peripheries of the parts Z9 and its edges coming together as shown at C in Fig. 1. The cut portions Z Z upon each side of the body a of the blank come opposite each other and form a slot or indentation into and through which the tongue B extends. This is indicated at D D Fig. l. By this construction the tongue B is inclosed and held from deformation by the body a of the link A. The slot C acting to prevent lat-eral motion of the tongue and the enlarged portion inclosed by the turned-up metal of the body a prevents the tongue from being drawn out of such inclosure or being bent in the other direction.

Vhat I claim is:-

1. In a flexible shaft, a link A having a tongue B extending from one side thereof, said tongue having an enlargement at its outer end, said tongue being bent over upon itself and the body of said link being bent over to inclose the enlarged end of said tongue.

2. In a flexible shaft, a link formed of a body of thin metal having its corners cut out, said body being bent over upon itself to an approximately cylindrical form so that the cut out portions form a slot in the end of said link, a tongue extending from one side of the body of said link being bent over passing through said slot, said tongue being provided with an enlarged end inclosed by the body of the link.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

EDD C. OLIVER.

Witnesses: VIRGINIA C. SPRATT,

ELLIOTT J. STODDARD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

